Artificial-refrigeration method and apparatus.



, Patented N0\ f.11,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l- APPLICATION FILED NOV. H. 1915.

C. W. MILES.

ARTIFICIAL REFRIGERATION METHOD AND APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. II, 1915.

1 ,32.1,230. Parented Nov. 11, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

CASPER W. MILES, OI ANDERSON TOWNSHIP, HAMILTON COUNTY, OHIO.

ARTIFICIAL-REFRIGERATION METHOD AND APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 11, 1919.

Application filed November 11, 1915. serial No. 60,950.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CASPER W. MILEs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Anderson township, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Artificial-Refrigeration Methods and Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improved method and apparatus for producing artificial refrigeration. One of its objects is to provide an improved method and means for the automatic regulation and delivery of the liquefied gas from the condenser or receiver to the expansion or refrigerating member. Another object is toprovide for the cooling or refrigeration of the liquefied gas before it enters the refrigerating member, and utilizing the cool expanded gas on its way to the-compressor or absorber for this purpose. Another object is to avoid the heat losses incident to introducing liquefied gas into the refrigerating member at a substantially higher temperature than said refrigerating member, and also to avoid the heat losses incident to passing liquefied gas from a high pressure to a low pressure through an expansion valve or restricted area, due to friction or wire drawing. My invention also comprises certain details of form, combination and arrangement, all of which will be fully set forth in the description of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagram of a refrigerating apparatus illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagram similar to Fig. 1 illustrating a modification.

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail on line a z of Fig. 2.

Fig. L is a diagram similar to Fig. 1 illustrating a modification.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating the precooling of the liquefied gas when employed with an expansion or regulating valve.

The accompanying drawings represent the preferred embodiments of my invention, in which A represents the compressor, or in some types of machine an absorber. B represents a condenser, which as illustrated is of the concentric tube type, but condensers of other type may be employed. Cooling Water is supplied to the condenser by pipe 2 and escapes therefrom by pipe-3, while the hot. compressed gas is conducted from theccmpressor to the conde ser y p pe i and the liquefied gas cooled to the temperature of the entering condensingwater flows from the condenser through pipe5.

D' represents brine cooler or brine tank in which is immersed an expansion or refrigerating member E. As illustrated the refrigerator is a cylindrical container or shell in which are mounted a series'oftubes or flues 6 through which the brine of the brine cooler is circulated by means of a power driven propeller blade 7, to cool the brine, and the'cool brine is then used either for ice making or refrigerating purposes, being returned to the brine cooler as often as required to again reduce its temperature.

The refrigerating member is preferably of the submerged or flooded type, that is a considerable body of liquefied gas is contained therein and its liquid level is maintained at a substantially uniform point, usually above the center of the refrigerating member as indicated at a so that the flues are submerged in liquefied gas, which slowly vaporizes by abstracting heat from the brine. The gas or vapor arising from the vaporization of the liquefied gas in the refrigerating member E is taken from above the liquid level-in the member E through a pipe 8 to the inlet of the compressor and compressed and delivered to the condenser.

Thus during an operating period of say twenty four hours, a considerable weight of liquefied gas u-nder relatively high pressure, and leaving the condenser at the temperature of the condensing water, say 80 F. is required to be returned to the refrigerating member E where the pressure is relatively low and the temperature is much lower, say 10 F. The general practice heretofore has been to return the liquefied gas from the condenser to the refrigerator by means of an expansion valve, which results in important heat losses, and requires careful watching and adjustment, due to its not being automatic in its operation.

The gas in the condenser is continuously condensing there into a liquid which as soon as it'assumcs the liquid state flows down and accumulates in a body of liquid which practically occupies all of the space inthe an externally insulated lower part of conduit 5. The lower portion H of this conduit Figs. 2 and 4 is coiled" about the pipe 8 through which the 0001 gas from the refrigerator is returning to the mpressor, agsi, hence the liq efied g n the refrigerator. Above the pre-cooledthe lower port-ion H of the conduit 5 becomes pre-cooled or refrigerated to substantially the same temperature as the refrigerator while the heat abstracted from it passes directly to the compressor through the pipe 8 instead of passing into or through liquefied gas in the conduit 5 is maintained a column or stratum of liquefied gas of the temperature of the condensing water, or which has not been pre-cooled and which is interposed between the pre-cooled liquefied gas and the unliquefied gas in the condenser, thereby preventing the warm unliquefied gas coming into contact with or in position to give up its heat to the return gas in pipe 8. From the coil'H a continuation e of conduit 5 leads the pre-cooled liquefied gas to the regulating valve mechanism above the which it is passed in regulated quantity to the refrigerator. By locating the port into the regulating valve mkechanism above the level of the coil H the coil H is caused .to

' constitute a pocket or return bend trap to contain a quantity of liquefied gas undergoing the cooling operation, and also a stratum or warm liquefied gas at 7 above the coil H, and between it and the condenser, as indicated by the dotted liquid level line 8 s drawn through the inlet port of the'regulating valve. Thus as fast as liquefied gas flows down from the condenser increasing the height of the column of liquefied gas in conduit 5 above the line 8 s, a like quantity of pre-cooled liquefied gas flows from the coil H through pipe e to the chamber of the regulating valve.

In Fig. 1 I have illustrated an annular jacket space H surrounding a section of the pipe 8 to serve the same purpose as the coil H of Figs. 2 and 4. Also in Fig. 1, I have illustrated a similar jacket space or pocket with overflow loop 51 to receive the liquefied gas from the regulating valve mechanism and further cool the liquefied gas on its way to the refrigerator E.

In order to automatically control the operation and mechanism for returning the liquid gas from the condenser to the refrigerating member, I preferably utilize the weight of the liquefied gas to automatically actuate and control valve mechanism to return the liquefied gas to the refrigerating member, and to relieve it from the high pressure of the condenser and permit the precooled liquefied gas to flow quietly under relatively low pressure to the refrigerating member, thus relieving the liquefied gas from the friction or wire-drawing due to its passage though a restricted passage under high pressure. 1

Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate applications of my improvements tq'a submerged or flooded type of refrigerator, and Fig. 4 illustrates its.

application to a non-flooded, or direct exduits 26 and 27 lead from pansion type of refrigerator. 1 have illustrated one type of weight actuated, automatically regulated valve mechanism but other types or modifications may be employed in place thereof. As illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the valve mechanism comprises a closed chamber F which is pivotally supported upon a center 10 which center is counterbored from opposite ends to furnish independent supply and exit conduits 11 and 12 to and from the chamber F. The chamber F is mounted upon a supporting frame 14 and connected by a link 1.5 with a counterweighted lever 16 which normally tends to hold the chamber F, when empty in an elevated position in contact with the under face of the yoke '17 which.

yoke acts as a pivotal support for the lever16.

When the chamber F is in its elevated position a lever 30 connected at one end to chamber F and fulcrumed rigidly relative to frame 14 and attached at its opposite end to the stem 82 of a .valve 9 is held by chamber F in position to open the valve 9' and admit pre-cooled liquid from the coil H to enter the conduit 11 and accumulate in the chamber F. When a sufi'icient weight of liquid has accumulated in the chamber F to more than counterbalance the weighted lever 16, the chamber F will turn upon its axis 10 and come to rest upon the fioor of the frame 14. During the time that the chamber F has remained in the elevated position the valve 18 controlling the exit passage 12 has remained closed, but the downward movement of the chamber F, through a connecting arm "or link 19 attached to the exterior of chamber F, exerts a pressure upon the outer end of lever 20, which has its fulcrum at 21, and causes the valve 18 which is connected by its stem 31 to the inner end of lever 20 to be lifted from its seat. The downward movement of chamber F also actuates the lever 30 to close the valve 9. As soon as the valve 18 is lifted from its seat the liquefied gas in chamber F, being cool and having an unrestricted exit flows quietly through the exit pipe under its own relatively low pressure to the refrigerator and without tending to burst or flash. into a vapor as would be the tendency if it were not pre-cooled.

Stufling boxes 24 and 25 permit the chamber F to turn upon its axis 10 and at the same time prevent leakage. Separate com the conduits 11 and 12 to the rear lower portion of the interior of chamber F to feed and discharge the liquid therefrom. If desired the valve 9 may be omitted, and the liquefied gas al lowed to flow directly from the condenser through coil H to the chamber F, in which case the pie-cooled liquefied gas would flow from the chamber F to the ref g a or other type designed to operate with a minimum pull on the valve rod may be employed in place thereof.

In the modification Fig. 4 I have illustrated a compressor A,a pipe 4: leading to a condenser not shown, a return pipe 5 to conduct the liquefied gas from the condenser, an automatically actuated valve mechanism comprising a chamber F and other members heretofore described. A coil H is provided to pre-cool the liquefied gas flowing through pipe 5 from the condenser, a conduit e to lead the pro-cooled liquefied ber F, and a conduit G to lea the pre-cooled liquefied gas from the chamber F to the refrigerator coil or member K located in the refrigerator chamber D.

The refrigerating member K instead of being of the flooded type comprises a coil of immersed in the brine of a cooler tank ipe The chamber F is preferably of rela-. tively smaller capacity than that employed with the flooded type of cooler, and thereby operates more frequently and supplies a.

smaller volume of liquefied gas at each operation. The liquefied'gas from the chamber F flows through the conduit G and then enters and flows along the interior of the coil K where it is gradually vaporized and flows as a gas or vapor through the balance of the coil K and is then returned through the pipe 8 to the compresssor.

In order to check and automatically regulate the flow of liquefied gas through the chamberF I provide a pressure regulating valve N, of. any approved type introduced into the pipe line 5 leading to the chamber F, and connect the low' ressure, or regulating pressure chamber of said valve N by a pipe line 35 with the pipe 8 close to the compressor. Thus the back pressure or pressure of gas flowing to the compressor through pipe 8 is employed to open and close the 'valve N and to regulate the supply of liquefied gas to the chamber F so as to maintain a substantially uniform gas pressure in the pipe 8. If desired a regulating valve N may be employed with a flooded type offrefrigeratin member as indicated in dotted lines on ig. 2, but ordinarily I prefer to omit the valve N in using the flooded type of; refrigerator, and to so regulate the total quantity of gas in the refrigerating system as to maintain a substantially uniform level of liquefied gas in the refrigerating member, and with only suflicient liquefied gas between the condenser andregulating valve to keep the coil H filled and a short column of warm liquefied gas above the pro-cooled liquefied gas in said coil H.

s to the cham- As illustrated in Fig. 5 the warm liquefied gas flows down from the condenser, not

shown, and accumulates in the coil H and pipe 5 above said coil to form a stratum of warm liquefied gas above the pre-cooled liquefied gas in coil H" which is coiled about the cool return gas pipe 8, A conduit 6' leads from the coil H to a needle valve or ordinary expansion valve R which is regulated to permit a small stream or iget of precooled liquefied gast'o escape or ow therefrom into the conduit G which conveys the pre-cooled liquefied gas chiefly in liquid state to the refrigerator, not shown, which may be of either the expansion or flooded t pe. I

All the apparatus serving to conduct or convey the pro-cooled liquefied gas should be suitably protected by housing or insulating material which has been only partially illustrated. at T in the respective figures.

The method and apparatus herein illustrated and described is capable of considerable modification without departing from the principle of my invention. 1

Having described my invention what I claim is: a 1. The method of artificial refrigeration which comprises withdrawing a liquefiable gas from a refrigerator at a low pressure and forcing it to acondenser at a higher pressure, condensing the gas to a liquid in said condenser, separating the liquefied gas from the unliquefied gas, pre-cooling a stratum of the liquefied gas by conducting heat therefrom nto the cool low pressure gas issuing from the refrigerator, maintaining a stratum of relatively warmer liquefied gas as a separator between said-pre-cooled liquefied gas and the unliquefied gas in said con-- denser, and conducting said pre-cooled gas in re lated quantity to said refrigerator.

said pre-cooled liquefied gas and the unliquefied gas in said condenser, and conducting said pre-cooled gas from the overflow of said pocket in regulated quantity to said refrigerator.

3. The. method of artificial refrigeration which comprises withdrawing a liquefiable gas'from' a refrigerator at a low-' pressure and forcing it to a condenser at a higher 2. he method of artificial refrigeration I pressure,'condensing the gas to a liquid in said condenser, automatically separating the liquefied gas from the unliquefied gas contained in the condenser and returning the liquefied gas so separated to the refrigerator,

and conducting heat from the lique ed gas before it enters the refrigerator into the cool low pressure gas issuing from the refrigerator.

4:. The method of artificial refrigeration which comprises withdrawing a liquefiable gas from a refrigerator at low pressure and forcing it into a condenser at a higher pressure, condensing the gas to a liquid in said condenser, utilizing the difierence in weight between equal volumes of liquefied and unliquefied gas from the condenser to auto-' matieall separate the liquefied gas from the unliqueiiied gas in the condenser, and con ducting the liquefied gas so separated as a liquid to the refrigerator.

5. Themethod of artificial refrigeration which comprises withdrawing a liquefiable gas from a refrigerator at low pressure and forcing it to a condenser at a higher pressure, condensing the gas to a liquid in said condenser, pre-coolin a lower stratum of said liquefied gas whi c it is separated from the unliquefied gas in the condenser by a warmer stratum of liquefied gas and before it enters the refrigerator, and automatically separating the pro-cooled liquefied gas from the unliquefied gas, in the condenser and conducting the liquefied gas so separated to said refrigerator;

6. The method of artificial refrigeration which comprises withdrawing a liquefiable gas from a refrigerator at a low pressure and forcing it to a condenser at a higher pressure, condensing the gas to a liquid in said condenser, automatically and intermittently separating portions of the liquefied gas from the accumulating liquefied gas and unliquefied gas contained in the condenser and conducting the liquefied gas so separated as a liquid to said refrigerator.

7. The method of artificial refrigeration which comprises employing a refrigerator v employing a refrigerator flooded with, a"

flooded with a liquefiable gas in liquefied condition, forcing the unliquefied gas issuing from said refrigerator at low pressure to a condenser at a higher pressure, liquefying said gas in said condenser, automatically separating the liquefied gas from the unliquefied gas in said condenser and conducting the liquefied gas so separated as aliquid to said refrigerator, and conducting heat from the liquefied gas to the cool low pres sure gas issuing from the refrigerator after it has been liquefied and before it is returned to the refrigerator.

8[ The method of artificial refrigeration liquefiable gas in liquid condition, which comprises forcing the unliquefiablegas issumenace 9. The method of artificial refrigeration which comprises withdrawing a liquefiable gas from a refrigerator at a low pressure and forcing it to a condenser at a higher pressure, condensing the gas to a liquid in said condenser, automatically and intermittently separating portions of the liquefied gas from the accumulating liquefied gas and unliqu'efied gas contained in said condenser and conducting the liquefied gas so separated to said refrigerator, and automatically controlling the flow of liquefied gas from said condenser to said intermittent separator by variations in the pressure of the gas issuing from said refrigerator.

10. An artificial refrigerating apparatus comprising a refrigerator, a condenser, means to force a liquefiablc gas issuing from the refrigerator at low pressure into said condenser at a higher pressure to cause said gas to. liquefy in said condenser, intermittently self-actuated means to separate liquefied gas from the unliquefied gas in said condenser and to relieve the liquefied gas so separated. from the pressure in said condenser, located at a point where liquefied gas from said condenser will automatically reach said separating means, a gas conduit leading from the lower portion of said condenser tosaid separating means, and a gas conduit leading from said separating means to said refrigerator. I

11. An artificial refrigerating apparatus comprising a refrigerator, a condenser, means to force a liquefiable gas issuing from the refrigerator at low pressure into. said condenser at a higher pressure to cause said where liquefied gas from said condenser will I automatically reach said separating means, a gas conduit from said condenser-to said separating means, a gas conduit from said separating means to said refrigerator, and means. to conduct heat from said liquefied gas after it has been liquefied and before it enters said refrigerator into the cool low pressure gas issuing from said refrigerator.

12. An artificial refrigerating apparatus comprising a refrigerator, a condenser, means to force a liquefiable-gas issuingfrom the refrigerator at low pressure saidcondenser at a higher pressure to causesaid gas to liquefy in said condenser, a conduitmeans to force a liquefiable gas issuing from the refrigerator at low pressure into said condenser at a higher pressure to cause said gas to liquefy in said condenser, a conduit for liquefied gas leading from the exit of said condenser to the inlet of said refrigerator, means to conduct heat from the liquefied gas in a section of said conduit into the low pressure gas issuing from said refrigerator to pre-cool the liquefied gas in its passage through said conduit, means to maintain a stratum of Warmer liquefied gas in said conduit interposed as a separator between the pre-cooled liquefied gas and the unliquefied gas in said condenser, and means to discharge a re ated quantity of said precooled lique ed gas to said refrigerator.

14. An artificial refrigerating apparatus comprising a refrigerator, a condenser, means to force a liquefiable gas issuing from said refrigerator at low pressure into said condenser at a higher pressure to cause said gas to liquefy in said condenser, a conduit for liquefied gas leadin from the exit of said condenser to the infet-of said refrigerator and provided with a pocket in which liquefied gas accumulates and from which it overflows as additional liquefied gas is supplied from said condenser, means to precool a stratum of liquefied gas in said pocket by conducting heat from said liquefied gas into the low pressure gas issuing from said refrigerator, 3. stratum of warmer liquefied gas in said conduit inte sed as a se arator etween. the pre-coole gas and 't e um liquefied gas in the condenser, and means to regulate and discharge the pre-cooled liquefied gas from the overflow of said pocket to said refrigerator.

15. An artificial refrigerating apparatus comprising a refrigerator, a condenser, means to force a liquefiable gas issuing from said refrigerator at low pressure into said condenser at a higher pressure to cause said as to liquefy in said condenser, a conduit or liquefied gas leading from the exit of said condenser to the inlet of said refrigerator and provided with a plurality of isuccessive pockets in each of which liquefied gas accumulates and from which it overflows as additional'liquefied gas is received therein, means to pre-cool the liquefied gas in two of said ockets by conducting heat from said liqu ed gas therein into the low- 7 pressure gas issuing from said refrigerator,

means to maintain a stratum of warmer liquefied gas in said conduit interposed as a separator between the pre-cooled liquefied gas and the unliquefied gas in the condenser, and means interposed in said conduit between the two pockets in which liquefied gas is pre-cooled to regulate and discharge the liquefied gas from the overflow of theupper v pre-cooling pocket into the lower pre-cooling pocket and thence to the refrigerator.

16.. An artificial refrigerating apparatus comprising a refrigerator, a condenser, means to force a liquefiable gas as it issues from the refrigerator at low pressure into the condenser at a higher pressure, a conduit to lead liquefied gas from the exit of the condenser to the inlet of the refrigerator, valve mechanism interposed in said conduit and actuated automatically by the relatively different weight of the liquefied and unliquefied gas of said condenser to separate liquefied gas from the unliquefied gas in said condenser and permit the liquefied gas to flow to said refrigerator, and means to transfer heat from the liquefied gas after it has been liquefied and before it enters the refrigerator into the cool low pressure gas issuing from said refrigerator.

' 17. An artificial refrigerating apparatus comprising a refrigerator, a condenser,

means to force a liquefiable gas as it issues from the refrigerator at low pressure into the condenser at a hi her pressure, a conduit to lead liquefied gas cm the exit of the condenser to the inlet of the refrigerator, means ate. the

interposed in said conduit to re flow of liquefied gas to said re 'gerator, means to pre-cool the liquefied gas in said conduit by conducting heat therefrom into the cool low pressure gas ,issuing from said refrigerator, and means to maintain a stratum of warmer liquefied gas above the stratum of pre-cooled liquefied gas to serve as a separator between the p-re-cooled gas and the unliquefied gas in the condenser.

In testimony whereof I have aflix'ed my signature in the presenceof two witnesses.

- CASPER W. MILES.

Witnessesz I WALTER F. MURRAY,

W. THORNTON Boennr. 

